Description
Tanicthys micagemmae, the Vietnamese Cardinal Minnow, or the Vietnamese White Cloud Mountain Minnow, are a small nano fish that gets to a maximum of about 1-1½ inches or so, usually capping out on the smaller end of that range in your aquarium. These guys are closely related to and resemble the normal White Cloud Mountain Minnows (Tanicthys albonubes), but they are a completely different and much rarer species. Not only are they found in Vietnam, hence the name, their color is quite a bit brighter than their cousins, with the lateral line being much more defined, as well as having longer finnage on average. They have incredible red coloration in their anal and caudal fins which sometimes bleed into their lateral line, and a stark white on their dorsal fins, and dominant males develop beautiful fin extensions. Their bodies are also brighter, and in the right light a brilliant neon blue borders their lateral band, and their red lips almost pop off of their bodies. Their species name micagemmae translates roughly from latin to “sparkling jewel”, and when you see these guys in your nicely planted aquarium, you’ll see exactly why!
When keeping Tanicthys micagemmae, it is best to keep them in fairly neutral water that is fairly soft, from about 30 to 150ppm or so. However, these fish are very hardy, and will tolerate water that is outside of those parameters fairly well. They do prefer a water temperature a bit cooler than most tropical fish, seeming to thrive best when they are kept in the 72-75 degree range, although they do perfectly fine in a much larger range, from as low as frozen, to as high as 85! Even though they aren’t typically found around a lot of objects where they are collected, they show off their best coloration when they have some decorations to dance around, whether they be plants or hardscape. Having some wood, rocks, or plants around in the tank will make these fish more secure, but these guys really like to swim as well, so a high flow hillstream aquarium will allow them to show the most natural behavior you could see.
The best way to keep these fish is in a large group in a peaceful community tank where they won’t get bullied or outcompeted. They easily take to most dry foods that you might offer, and usually are not a problem to get thriving. You can tell males from females by looking at the finnage as well as the roundness of the belly, but the best thing to do when purchasing young fish is just to get a large group. As long as there is enough swimming space and not too many other things to eat eggs, or especially if you keep them only with each other in a species only tank, you can usually see a few babies popping up here and there, as these guys are so peaceful they even tend to leave their fry alone, so if you’re a beginner looking to try your hand at breeding, these may be a fun one to start with! Whether breeding or just keeping them for fun, Tanicthys micagemmae is a great addition to your planted community! These schooling fish do not ship individually bagged.
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